A Possible Relativistic Jetted Outburst from a Massive Black Hole Fed by a Tidally Disrupted Star

Gas accretion onto some massive black holes (MBHs) at the centers of galaxies actively powers luminous emission, but most MBHs are considered dormant. Occasionally, a star passing too near an MBH is torn apart by gravitational forces, leading to a bright tidal disruption flare (TDF). Although the hi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2011-07, Vol.333 (6039), p.203-206
Main Authors: Bloom, Joshua S., Giannios, Dimitrios, Metzger, Brian D., Cenko, S. Bradley, Perley, Daniel A., Butler, Nathaniel R., Tanvir, Nial R., Levan, Andrew J., Brien, Paul T. O', Strubbe, Linda E., De Colle, Fabio, Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico, Lee, William H., Nayakshin, Sergei, Quataert, Eliot, King, Andrew R., Cucchiara, Antonino, Guillochon, James, Bower, Geoffrey C., Fruchter, Andrew S., Morgan, Adam N., van der Horst, Alexander J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
A stars
Accretion
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Black holes
Black holes (astronomy)
Blazars
Characteristics and properties of external galaxies and extragalactic objects
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Flares
Galactic nuclei (including black holes), circumnuclear matter, and bulges
Galaxies
Gamma ray astronomy
Grants
Inverse
Ionization afterglow
Luminosity
Space telescopes
Stars & galaxies
Stellar systems. Galactic and extragalactic objects and systems. The universe
Synchrotrons
TDF
Tidal disruption
X ray observatories
X ray spectrum
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Summary:Gas accretion onto some massive black holes (MBHs) at the centers of galaxies actively powers luminous emission, but most MBHs are considered dormant. Occasionally, a star passing too near an MBH is torn apart by gravitational forces, leading to a bright tidal disruption flare (TDF). Although the high-energy transient Sw 1644+57 initially displayed none of the theoretically anticipated (nor previously observed) TDF characteristics, we show that observations suggest a sudden accretion event onto a central MBH of mass about 10 6 to 10 7 solar masses. There is evidence for a mildly relativistic outflow, jet collimation, and a spectrum characterized by synchrotron and inverse Compton processes; this leads to a natural analogy of Sw 1644+57 to a temporary smaller-scale blazar.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1207150